Acupuncture Your Partner in Weight Loss

By Anne C. Crowley, MAc, LAc

LaPlata Acupuncture and Healing Arts

. http://www.laplataacupuncture.com

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Acupuncture Your Partner in Weight Loss

Acupuncture is no magic bullet, when it comes to weight loss. There is only one. You. Acupuncture can make this journey easier for you and support you in your decision. We use a 5-needle protocol developed by Michael Smith at the Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, New York City, to treat drug addiction. This protocol has been highly successful for all types of addictions (See www.acudetox.com).
Typically I will have patients come to me with joint problems or endocrine problems that they fully realize are the result of excess weight. We then work on the whole pattern and include the 5-needle protocol in every treatment. Along with these 5 needles (on the ear) I add the Adrenal Point, which greatly aids in reducing food cravings. The 5 needles are sympathetic, shen men (calming and pain reducing needles), kidney, liver, lung (which supports the yin meridians in acupuncture).
Another method I add to the 5-needle protocol is herbs. Herbs that reduce dampness and generate the spleen/pancreas are often needed. They include diuretic herbs that reduce excess water and heaviness in the middle, and also generate the spleen/pancreas to transform the dampness. Both work extremely well to reduce the heavy feeling and speed the weight loss process.
Coaching is extremely important also. Often there are stresses in life that get in the way of us staying on task with our goals. We will continue to discuss managing those stresses, throughout your treatment. This is perhaps the most important key. Once we get control of the forces around us, we will feel free in many ways to accomplish the goals we have been wanting to happen.
Of course exercise and diet will play a key factor. Even a minimal amount of exercise makes a difference. Lifting light dumbbells begins to build muscle that then allows for speedier weight loss. This is also extremely important in preventing osteoporosis in women. Simple walking, exercise bike, swimming, can get us moving and feel more in control of our bodies.
What we eat will determine how we feel. I once heard the statement, “Food is medicine.” When you think about it, everything we eat, drink and breathe becomes part of us. So our decisions every day determine our overall makeup and health picture for the future. We all have DNA or in Chinese medicine, jing, that we were born with. This is our core essence. Some are luckier than others on this, but what we do after this makes all the difference. It is not just about longevity, it is about living a quality life when we are here. If you are serious about taking charge of your health, acupuncture can be a great partner in your determination to live a healthier life.